Marin's Jennifer Siebel Newsom in Oscar mix for documentary

After Jennifer Siebel Newsom heard Thursday that "The Invisible War" — an expose she helped produce about rape in the military — had been nominated for an Academy Award for best feature documentary, the Marin filmmaker and actress tweeted, "Amazing news! So exciting!"

The good news came on the heels of a happy report earlier in the week that she and her husband, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, are expecting their third child.

Siebel Newsom, who grew up in Ross and now lives in Kentfield, was one of eight executive producers and three producers of the film, directed by Kirby Dick, who had previously been nominated for a 2004 Oscar for his HBO documentary "Twist of Faith," about a man's sexual abuse by a Catholic priest.

With fellow producer Regina Kulik Scully, Siebel Newsom told the Huffington Post, "We are honored to have been a part of such an important film. Our hope is that this recognition will ultimately benefit the survivors, support the healing process for those currently suffering in silence, and make profound systemic changes throughout our society."

The film profiles several U.S. soldiers who recounted harrowing experiences of rape and sexual assault in the military. It reports Defense Department estimates of 19,000 violent sex crimes in the military in 2010 and another 22,800 in 2011. The film concludes that a female soldier in combat zones is more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire.

The subject of women and sexual exploitation is not a new one for Siebel Newsom. She directed the 2011 Sundance documentary, "Miss Representation," which deals with demeaning images of women in the media. While promoting the film, she revealed that she had been "violated" by a trusted soccer coach when she was a star youth soccer player.

"I dealt with some ugly stuff and it held me back," she said in a 2011 Marin Independent Journal interview. "I went from being an All-American soccer player to feeling I had no value and no place in the world. That's that happens when women are violated."